Let The Hunt Begin
by BewareMyFrozenHeart
Summary: The Hunters numbers are at an all-time low, and when an unexpected attack lowers them even more, Artemis orders an emergency recruitment mission. However, a future foe is causing trouble in her ranks..
1. Chapter 1

**Dedicated to my beautiful RPers, you know who you are.**

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><p>"Lady Artemis, we have tracked the Kobaloi across the forest and have them surrounded."<p>

The goddess looked up at her lieutenant from her place on the woodland floor. A small rabbit was hopping around her hands, and Artemis seemed quite content to let it do so.

"Excellent. Can thee handle them by thyselves, or does the Hunt require my supervision?"

Zoe hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.

"We will take care of it, My Lady. Kristen has already started setting up traps, and the Hunt is closing in."

"Very good, Zoe. I shall await thy return."

Nodding respectfully, Zoe backed away. With inhuman speed, she nimbly raced back deep into the forest. The bushes seemed to part for her as she ran, and Zoe knew that Artemis was working her magic to give her a safe passage back to the others. A smile spread across her face. Even though her Lady Archeress pretended to be letting them tackle the pesky Kobaloi on their own, she wasn't going to leave them completely without help. The magic grew weaker the further she ran, but she appreciated the sentiment.

"Try looking above ground level if thee seek someone as _elusive_ as me, Nightshade."

Zoe stopped dead. Looking up, she could see a pair of eyes shining at her from behind a veil of dark, glossy hair.

"Somedays, I think thee lied to us about thy parentage, Laureline." Zoe said, holding a hand up in the air. "Only the nymphs can hide as well as thee."

"No such thing! I'm just the stealthiest person thee will ever have the misfortune to meet." The girl smiled, pulling Zoe up into the tree. "Not to mention my modesty."

"My, what an inflated opinion you have of thyself today, Laureline!"

This earned her a laugh, and she made the mistake of looking down. She bit her lip nervously, and her friend didn't miss the movement.

"Does thee not have faith in me? Dropping thee is not on my agenda for today."

Zoe shot her a pained smile. Much as she disliked confessing it, she was not as fond of climbing as some of the other hunters. She prefered to have her feet firmly on the ground and would only leave it during hunting. Having been shut in that garden for millennia, climbing was a strange concept that she'd never truly grasped. However, only Artemis and the girl in front of her knew, and it was not a fact that she particularly wanted to broadcast.

"So, Lieutenant Nightshade, what is our plan?"

Zoe snapped back to the present as she was pulled further from the ground.

"Kristen and Helena are tracking the Kobaloi as we speak." She explained. "There appear to be around half a dozen of them, but Kristen has already lured one away from the group and is dealing with it."

"Good girl. It makes me proud to see how Truman is finally learning to harness her powers. While the skeleton in my tent was impressive, I do not wish to repeat the experience."

Zoe couldn't hold back her laugh. That had been a memorable first night with the Hunt. It had been the first time she'd discovered her friend's parentage, too.

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><p><em>A shrill scream pulled Zoe out of her dreams and she sat up quickly, almost bumping heads with Sophia.<em>

_"Are we under attack?" Zoe asked, eyes wide._

_Sophia shrugged. "Probably. Then again, that was Eliza. For all we know, it could have merely been but a spider."_

_"Art thou not going to investigate?"_

_Sophia mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over. Zoe pushed her blanket away. If there was a monster outside, she would face it. There would be no better way to prove herself worthy of the Lady Artemis' blessing! She grabbed up her bow with shaking hands, and slipped out of the tent._

_The clearing outside was quickly filling with Hunters, all with expressions ranging from concern to just plain irritation at being woken up. In the centre of the largest huddle there was a pale-skinned girl talking in a shrill voice to anyone that would listen. Zoe guessed that she had been the one that screamed._

_"-out of thin air! I swear on the Styx, I nearly died with fright! One moment I was asleep, and then that_ thing _was standing over me! It was all Kristen's fault, I tell thee!"_

_Zoe didn't pause to hear the rest. She quickly hurried over to where she thought the sound had come from, and nearly collided with another girl in the process. This girl had a devilish grin on her face, and was watching a tent door almost gleefully._

_"Oh, Kristen has done it beautifully this time!"_

_"What has she done?"_

_The girl turned. "Why ask me? Go and see for thyself, if thou dare."_

_Zoe cautiously moved closer to the tent and took the folds of fabric into her palm, preparing to pull them aside. She only faltered for a second. She would not let her fear get the better of her. She was different to her sisters. Courage! She was a Hunter now, and Hunters did not back down from danger._

_She dragged the material aside. Inside, cowering on the floor, was Kristen Truman. She seemed to be frantically mumbling to the ground, but Zoe didn't have time to ask why. Another figure, dressed in a speckled grey gown, was rolling across the tent floor locked in a furious wrestling match with a large collection of bones._

_"Oh, excellent!" The girl said, smacking a bony hand away from her face. "Reinforcements! Are the other hunters just standing around out there again?"_

_Zoe just nodded, stunned._

_"I shall be having words! Is Gemma not awake y-?"_

_The skeleton's hand grasped the girl's neck, cutting her words off. The gesture made Zoe's heart lurch, and she regained the use of her limbs in time to run across the tent and pull the skeletal mass off of the girl. She quickly recovered, and Zoe found herself moving in perfect harmony with her as they both slashed at the skeleton, driving it backwards and out of the tent._

_Zoe ended up using an arrow as substitute for a spear. It worked fairly well, but it only lived a brief life before it snapped between a pair of bony ribs. The girl shoved a sheath in Zoe's direction, pushing the skeleton back so she could continue her attack without accidentally threatening the other two girls in the room._

_"Use this. It will serve thee better than wood!"_

_Her fingers shook as Zoe pulled the knife out, and held it up. Tiny jewels adorned the bronze blade and Zoe stared, mesmerised. The blade caught the light, shimmering as she turned it over in her hand._

_Wait, light?_

_It was the middle of the night, yet the room was rapidly filling with a blinding light. Zoe squeezed her eyes shut to shield them, and swung out in a random direction in the hope that she might hit the offending body._

_She hit nothing but air. Even as she pulled her arm back for another try, the light stopped burning through her eyelids. It had only lasted a few moments. When she was sure it had died down, Zoe gingerly opened an eye. Standing over a pile of dust, the girl had a satisfied smile tugging at her lips. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to tame the tangled brown locks into submission._

_"I much prefer them like this. Do thee agree?"_

_Spots still blurred Zoe's vision, but she nodded again. She was getting awfully good at just nodding obediently._

_"Well, I appreciate thy help. Is thy name Zoe, the former Hesperide?"_

_"It is."_

_"Well, Zoe, thou have my thanks."_

_At that moment the lieutenant of the Hunt ran in, almost crashing into the pair. Her eyes flitted around the tent, coming to rest on Kristen. Pulling a tiny bag from her belt, she offered it to Kristen._

_"I am not injured, Gemma. Laureline and Zoe have disposed of the creature. I understand that I am now a danger to the Hunt, and I will leave if thou wish it."_

_Gemma shook her head. "I will not hear of it. When she has calmed down, I am certain Eliza will see that it was not thy intention to summon it. Thy lineage of Hades is naught to be ashamed of."_

_Kristen hung her head, and Zoe's heart went out to her._

_"I will take Eliza's place in here if she would prefer it." She butted in._

_All three sets of eyes turned to her, and Gemma gave her a warm smile._

_"A kind offer, Zoe. I shall ask if this suits her. Elsa, Kristen, does this suit thee?"_

_Elsa agreed instantly, with Kristen murmuring her assent a heartbeat later. With a smile, she took Zoe's arm._

_"We should retrieve thy belongings if thee are to join us. Kristen, I have a feeling Zoe will be considerably improved company compared to Eliza Galanis."_

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><p>Elsa continued, oblivious to the wandering thoughts of the lieutenant.<p>

"So if Truman has that under control, where will I be of most assistance?"

"This station is as good as any. Celesta should drive the party our way soon."

Zoe's voice faded away as she heard a quiet crack from beneath her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, sending a chill down her back. Elsa had apparently heard the noise too, and was silently climbing through the branches to get a better look at the ground. There was a moment of absolute silence.

_"Minotaur!"_

Both Elsa and Zoe sprang into action. With a mock salute to Zoe, Elsa let herself fall from the tree and land gracefully on her feet twenty metres below. Zoe was not so lucky. As she shuffled around to find a good handhold, the branch below her snapped. For one, heart-stopping moment, she began plummeting towards Earth.

Then her hand closed around another branch. The wood held her weight, but her feet windmilled helplessly as she let out a shrill squeak.

"Do not let go of that branch, Nightshade!" Elsa shouted, scrambling back up the tree.

Beneath them, a figure sprinted along the path. Zoe thought it might have been Leilani, but the branches obscured her view.

"I was not planning to do so!"

It wasn't the first time Zoe had needed assistance with trees, which only added to her embarrassment. Once again, the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis had to sit there and wait to be rescued.

_At least it isn't a boy this time._

Elsa's face popped up in front of hers with a giggle.

"What are thee doing, _hanging around up here_? I do believe we have a Minotaur to slay!"

Zoe smiled at the smiling hunter. "Hilarious. Will thee return me to the ground, please?"

Elsa nodded and spun Zoe round. A second later, she instructed her to let go of the branch (something Zoe did very unwillingly) and hold onto her instead. All Zoe could do from that point onwards was cling to Elsa and wait for her feet to touch the safety of the ground.

Elsa climbed down the tree as though Zoe wasn't there. It wasn't as fast as falling, but it wasn't far off. Moments after they'd been up near the broken branch, Elsa was depositing Zoe on the ground with a smirk.

"Admit it." Elsa smiled angelically. "I am thy saviour and thee, my dear Nightshade, are eternally in my debt."

"Thy assistance is appreciated." Zoe rolled her eyes, turning on the spot. "But we do have a slightly larger issue to be concerned with-"

Kristen came running out of the bushes, right into the pair. She was breathing hard and barely able to speak properly. Bits of leaf and other foliage were stuck in her braid, and her hands were covered in mud. They shook as she spoke.

"It- We don't know where it came from!" she wailed.

Zoe's reply was cut off by a thundering roar not fifty metres from them. Grabbing hold of Kristen and Elsa, she started to run.

"Where are the other hunters?" she yelled, their feet pounding against the floor in unison.

Kristen shook her head in distress. "We all just ran. It was chaos. We were prepared for a small clan of Kobaloi, not the _Minotaur_."

Zoe didn't feel angry at the others for abandoning their posts. Their numbers were perilously low at the moment, and the Tartarus-residing beast appearing out of the blue was certainly an excuse to panic.

Way out of her depth, Zoe fumbled with her belt. After lots of tugging, she finally freed the horn and blew into it as hard as she could. The eerie sound radiated from it, and Zoe knew that Artemis would be on her way.

The bushes behind her suddenly erupted, the Minotaur closing in on them, and Zoe was forced to make a split-second plan.

"Scatter. We can regroup once Artemis arrives." No better order came to mind.

Elsa obeyed Zoe's order without question and vanished up the nearest tree. Moments later, the sound of cracking branches faded as she sped away through the treetops.

Kristen was less willing to leave Zoe alone.

"And what about you? Should we not find the others?"

Zoe ducked as a large chunk of wood flew over their heads.

"At this precise moment, we just need to avoid a one-way journey to Hades." She answered, pulling Kristen to the side and through a thin gap in the trees. "We will seek each other later. Flee!"

For a moment it seemed like Zoe's plan had worked, but the change of route did little to slow the monster and it barrelled right into the vast oaks.

A loud groan came from the trees, and Zoe looked up. The ancient trees had been uprooted by the impact, and were now slamming down towards her. All she could do was shield her face as it fell. With an earth-shattering crash, the giant trunk hit the ground.

The good news was that the main body missed her. The bad news was that one of the branches caught Zoe by surprise and, making her knees buckle painfully, it flattened her against the floor. The circlet that usually resided atop her plait was sent sprawling away from her, but the giant piece of wood pinning her prevented her from retrieving it. She twisted desperately. It would be only moments until the Minotaur recovered, and she was just a sitting duck.

The rumbling hadn't even died away before the monster let out another deafening roar and stepped forwards. Zoe stopped moving. All she could do was hope that it assumed her dead, and ignored her.

No such luck.

A thick hand closed around the branch, dragging it away. She tried to scramble away, but the Minotaur disposed of the log and reached for her.

She couldn't get away fast enough, and the hand closed around her body.

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><p><strong>AN: First chapter, guys! This is part of my "Make a hunter" adventure I've got on Facebook, so no flaming the OCs. They're real people. Flame my writing if you must, but constructive reviews would be better!**

_**Update: I feel like I have to clarify. My facebook friends have created characters that I will be using in this fanfic, because not enough are mentioned in canon. That is the only way these two websites are connected, and it is not "lame", thank you. *Sighs***_

**Until the next chapter, me out. Xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to thyrandomninja for betaing and just generally sorting the mess that was the first chapter of this chapter out! You rule!**

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><p>The Minotaur's breath alone was enough to make Zoe gag. It plucked her from the ground with ease and held her up at eye level. Zoe's bow lay out of reach amongst the leaves, leaving her defenceless against the monster. She tried to calm herself. Panicking would get her nowhere, and if she was going to die, she would do so with dignity. She glared. The Minotaur responded with a deafening roar, making her wince.<p>

Zoe and the Minotaur stared at each other for a long moment. Its cold eyes were black and soulless, obsidian pits boring into her. Having acquired its prey, the creature began to turn, moving away from the clearing. She found its behaviour baffling. All monsters tried to kill demigods and hunters as quickly as possibly, and the Minotaur was particularly infamous for it, yet it clearly had other plans for her.

The Minotaur had only taken six steps when it suddenly lurched and bellowed angrily again. Zoe covered her ears. Swinging wildly, the arm holding her tossed her aside. The figure of another hunter flashed into view before she ploughed into the patchy grass, landing in a crumpled heap in the dirt. For a moment, she couldn't move, and fear shot through her.

"Zoe!"

Leilani's voice called her name from a short distance away. Forcing her head up, Zoe spotted the tiny ginger girl squaring up to the Minotaur alone and her fears of paralysis were overridden by a fierce protective instinct. Leilani had placed herself between the beast and Zoe and was buying her friend time. Not long, but enough time to pick herself up off the ground.

"Over here, you half-witted buffoon!" Leilani yelled, retreating towards the trees.

The Minotaur didn't give chase immediately, but once she started launching small throwing stars, it gave in to its rage and charged. Leilani's eyes widened as she realised what she had done. She turned on her heels and ran with it close behind.

Leilani had many talents, but running was not one of them; Zoe knew it would catch her soon, and even as she rose on shaky legs, she saw it lower its horns ready to ram its target. Leilani was nimble enough to dive to the side before it could hit her full on, but it still caught her with an arm and sent her crashing to the floor before itself colliding with a tree.

After turning back, it approached her again, and she didn't regain her balance in time to move out of the way. The second swipe would've killed her instantly had Celesta not dropped down from a tree in front of it, summoning lightning as she moved. She barrelled into Leilani's side, taking the hit herself.

Celesta was not a small woman. She was stronger and more battleworn than Leilani, and while it crippled her for a short while, Zoe knew that her intervention had almost certainly saved Leilani from a fatal wound. She made a mental note to mention it to Artemis. Celesta's usual battle strategy was fighting alone, all guns blazing. Zoe was surprised she'd gone for a defensive approach rather than attacking it in a frenzy as she usually did.

Celesta stumbled to the ground, but she'd managed to shock the Minotaur hard enough to daze it for a few moments. Zoe had notched a trio of arrows. With a shout, she let them fly across the clearing where they buried themselves into the Minotaur's side. It turned yet again, settling its gaze on its latest target.

_Artemis! Godspeed, my Lady!_

Zoe's plea only summoned Helena. The teenager ran to her side, then saw the approaching monster and ducked away again. Zoe assumed she'd made her retreat, but she was proven wrong when she came in from the side and a knife sliced into the Minotaur's leg. Zoe leapt forwards as Helena struck.

The Minotaur was now in a complete rage. As Zoe finally reached her, it raked its claws across Helena's body in one fluid movement and sent her flying. The monster glanced down in irritation as Zoe flung herself at it, sending the monster reeling backwards from the force of the impact. Both she and the monster yelled out, and a crack sounded from deep in her arm, which had taken the brunt of the shock.

The others descended around her to defend the pair, burying arrows and blades into its hide. Zoe muttered something vicious under her breath, cradling her shattered arm. She allowed one of the girls to pull her out of harm's way as she recovered from her momentary burst of pain.

"Celesta!" Zoe called, voice rasping. "Seek out Elsa! Helena requires a healer immediately."

Celesta looked unimpressed by her dismissal from the fight, but slipped away into the trees nonetheless. As soon as she vanished, Zoe realised that sending the away strongest fighter had been a terrible idea, but she couldn't undo it. Instead of wasting time regretting her decision, she helped the remaining hunters re-establish their defence then turned her attention to the youngest of the group.

The girl in question was shivering violently, and curled up in a ball on the leaves. With the utmost care, Zoe gently prised her limbs apart so she could assess the wound. The gash was pulsing with the darkest blood she'd ever seen, matching Helena's dark skin. In the dimming light, it seemed like a metallic sheen was soaking across Helena's shirt. Zoe had to fight back a growing feeling of nausea.

The furious battle cries of the other hunters filled the air. The gravity of the situation had finally sunk in, and now all the Hunters wanted was to grind the offending party into dust. With an emotion that can only be described as pure rage, the small group of girls sent the injured monster into a hasty retreat.

"Hunters, fall back!"

Zoe let out an audible gasp of relief at the sharp voice; Artemis had finally arrived. A second later, she was doubly reassured as a second figure dropped from a tree and ran to her side. Elsa took one look at Helena's shaking form, and grimaced. Fear shot through Zoe.

"What is wrong? Can thee not heal her?"

Elsa didn't even look up as she replied. Her hands flew over Helena's body, checking how far the poison had gone.

"Oh, I can save her." She mumbled.

There was an implication in her words that Zoe didn't like. As Elsa put her hand on Helena to start her healing magic, Zoe stopped her.

"And what of thyself?" Zoe asked quietly.

Elsa pulled her hand away from Zoe's grasp.

"I've never done something as bad as this before." She said, looking into Zoe's eyes. "I can drain her wound; you know how my healing works. I'm just not sure if I can heal myself."

The world came to a standstill as Zoe realised what she was saying. "Elsa..." she started, but trailed off.

What could she say? She could never order Elsa to make that kind of sacrifice, but she knew Elsa wouldn't let Helena die either. She looked around for Artemis, silently pleading for the goddess to take this hellish responsibility from her shoulders.

Artemis flitted back into view amongst the trees, and Zoe's heart leapt. _Artemis would know what to do. She_ always _made the right calls_. Zoe was about to call out to her when warmth swept over her, and a light appeared in the corner of her eye. She spun round, dreading what she was going to see.

Her fears were confirmed when she saw the light fading and Elsa Laureline collapse next to her friend's unmoving body, a rapidly darkening patch spreading across her spotted dress.

"No!"

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><p><strong>AN - As usual, please review! There'll be spots for you guys to make appearances and I'm more likely to favour the people who have reviewed awesomely over those that haven't :)**

**~Ciao**


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